Josie Gibson: Who is the I'm A Celebrity contestant?

Josie Gibson is swapping This Morning’s sofa for the I’m A Celebrity jungle, with just days to go until she enters camp.

The TV star has become a favourite with fans in recent years and before the ITV show has even started, bookmakers have already tipped her to be a possible Queen of the Jungle.

Gibson will be spending time around the campfire with the likes of Nigel Farage, Fred Sirieix and Jamie Lynn Spears, and fans can’t wait to see what she will bring to the show.

We take a look at what Gibson has said about her upcoming I'm A Celeb stint, her This Morning fame and more.

What has Josie Gibson said about I'm A Celebrity?

Gibson is going to have to face her fears because she has admitted that she is absolutely terrified of creepy crawlies.

“Now I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! is fast approaching, it’s sinking in and I am feeling anxious,” she said. “I keep thinking, ‘S***, I am actually doing this’. I know I have taken on challenges for This Morning in the past but I don’t know if I’ve taken on too much here. It’s all becoming very real.”

“I am dreading the insects and it’s my biggest phobia. I also don’t like spiders and I freeze normally when I see one. My family thinks I am mad doing the programme too as they know what I’m like with creepy crawlies!”

She also said she isn’t keen on the idea of the eating trials or heights.

However, the TV star is a big fan of the series and said she wanted to push herself.

“To be fair, I am not liking a lot of things that the jungle throws at you but I want to give it all a go,” she said.

Finding fame on Big Brother

Bristol-born Gibson found fame when she was a Big Brother housemate in 2010.

Viewers were charmed by Gibson and her light-hearted approach to challenges, and as the series went on became gripped by her budding romance with fellow housemate John James Parton.

She never faced the public vote and went on the win the series, and it was reported at the time that she clinched a massive 77.5% of the public vote.

The show proved to be a real launchpad for Gibson, and she went on to appear in the all-star edition, Ultimate Big Brother, and even landed her own reality show with Parton - Josie and John James: What Happened Next.

Weight loss

Gibson has been open about her weight and after Big Brother embarked on a wellness mission that saw her transform her body.

She told Closer two years ago: "I first embarked on a weight loss journey in 2013 when I shed 6st over a year with a combination of healthy eating and exercise.”

The star went on to release DVDs and a book about her diet and exercise regime

But in recent years she has talked about finding balance and wanting to focus on health rather than weight.

She told Closer: “I did enjoy being super-skinny, when you’ve been fat all your life it was great being there. I felt like Pamela Anderson when I was a size 8.It was lovely! But even now I’m comfortable wearing bikinis because I’m happy with my curves.”

This Morning role and Eamonn Holmes

In 2019, Gibson joined This Morning and has become known for hilarious segments where she does things like try out creepy Halloween events and high-octane rollercoasters.

And it seems former This Morning star Eamonn Holmes had a hand in her big break.

She once told the Huffington Post she thought the fact she’d been on Big Brother could have held her back and that she was rejected dozens of times.

But when she met Holmes he apparently advised her to send in some ideas to This Morning’s bosses.

This year she has really racked up the hosting slots since the departure of long-term presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.

And she is thought to be a frontrunner who could replace Willoughby, who stepped down from the show after a man was charged in relation to an alleged plot to kidnap and murder her.

Best friends with Alison Hammond

Gibson is very close to her This Morning colleague Alison Hammond, who also launched her career in the Big Brother house.

They weren’t in the fly on the wall show together but later bonded and have even been known to spend Christmas together.

Gibson previously told OK! magazine: “Alison actually got me through lockdown. She was there for me on the phone every night.”

Hammond did I’m A Celeb herself in 2010, and Gibson said: “I know she will be rooting for me. She has told me to try my hardest.”

Is Josie Gibson married?

The TV star’s short-lived romance with Parton played out in the public eye, but since then, Gibson has tended to keep her private life quiet.

She was in a relationship with a man named Terry, and in 2018 they had a little boy named Reggie James.

However, they are thought to have split and it isn't known who the star is dating now.

Earlier this year there were rumours about Gibson being linked to a cameraman, but she went on to pour cold water on the gossip.

Read more: Josie Gibson

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